Corinne Landrey – Crashburn Alleyhttp://crashburnalley.com
Fri, 09 Dec 2016 10:30:45 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1The Final Piece: A Farewell To Ryan Howardhttp://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/12/the-final-piece-a-farewell-to-ryan-howard/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/12/the-final-piece-a-farewell-to-ryan-howard/#commentsMon, 12 Sep 2016 15:05:39 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22315Continue reading...]]>We knew it was coming. We’ve expected for at least a year that Ryan Howard would be the last man standing and now the time has arrived to say goodbye. There are less than twenty games remaining for the Phillies this year which means there are less than twenty games remaining in Howard’s Phillies career. It’s been a tortuously long and painful farewell as Howard’s performance on the field never rebounded from the Achilles’ injury he suffered in the final seconds of the 2011 NLDS. But instead of dwelling on the bad, we’re finally at a point where we can look at Ryan Howard and focus on the joy he brought to the city of Philadelphia.

It’s not easy to isolate a single favorite memory of Howard’s Phillies career. For me, my absolutely favorite thing about watching him play was more of a feeling than a single moment. For half a decade, every time Howard stepped to the plate you felt as though greatness was possible. When Howard took a swing and connected with a baseball, he hit the ball harder and further more consistently than anyone I’d ever watched in a Phillies uniform. He was among the most feared hitters in baseball and for good reason. He’s always been a one-dimensional player, but during the glory years that one-dimension was more than enough. He was a power threat that made it impossible to ever give up on a Phillies game. Howard could — and did — deliver heroic game-tying or go-ahead home runs at any time. He made the game fun, he made the Phillies fun, and he made the impossible possible.

Ryan Howard has hit 378 home runs for the Phillies — 386 including the postseason — which means great moments are easy to come by in reflecting on his career and the Phillies audiovisual team will never struggle to find enough material to build highlight reels for the copious tributes to Howard and the 2008 Phillies that surely await us in the coming years. I have found, however, that there is one moment that stands out for me as most representative of the greatness Ryan Howard was capable of creating.

For the majority of the 2007-2011 glory years, I was living in Upstate New York. I passionately watched every postseason game in which they played, but the prospect of actually attending one of them seemed unlikely to pan out due to the distance. Then, through a series of unexpected circumstances, I found myself in possession of tickets to Game Four of the 2008 World Series. When they arrived at my door, I exploded with glee at the poor unsuspecting UPS man. Now that I think about it, I may have even hugged him. Sorry, UPS man. Getting the opportunity to go to a World Series game was a lifelong dream achieved and getting to go with my hometown team starring was everything.

I traveled down to Philadelphia that weekend and, as you may recall, the Phillies entered Game Four up two games to one after a late night walk-off win the night before. Just two wins away from the first Philadelphia championship I’d ever know, Philadelphia fans were as optimistic and excited as I have ever experienced. Walking into Citizens Bank Park that night, the atmosphere was electric. There was smiles and laughter and, at least in my case, more than one moment of awe and wonder as I took in what was happening around me.

When the game started, though, the nerves started to creep in — the World Series lights and fanfare can only do so much to negate a lifetime of Philadelphia sports fandom, after all. Fortunately, a bad call and a bases loaded walk gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead in the first inning and a two-out RBI single by Pedro Feliz would increase that lead to 2-0 in the third. In the top of the fourth, however, Joe Blanton gave up a solo home run to Carl Crawford and suddenly we were reminded that there was a possibility this game wouldn’t have a fairy tale ending.

Then, with the Phillies up 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Ryan Howard stepped to the plate with runners on first and second and did this:

Joe Buck’s matter-of-fact style and the levels on the crowd noise don’t do justice to the way Citizens Bank Park absolutely exploded when Howard deposited that baseball in the left field stands. For me, it was right at that moment, that I knew the Phillies were going to win the World Series. It’s baseball and anything can happen. The Rays could have come back and my “knowledge” of what was about to happen could easily have gone for naught, but it didn’t. Home runs later in that game by Joe Blanton, Jayson Werth and, naturally, Ryan Howard a second time gave the Phillies a 10-2 victory. Four days and one 48-hour rain delay later, they’d complete the job and win it all.

Cole Hamels was the immensely deserving World Series MVP that year, but the man who put the Phillies over the edge in my little brain was Ryan Howard. That beautiful swing which had generated so many home runs had delivered when Philadelphia needed it the most. It wasn’t a surprise — it was never a surprise to see Ryan Howard hit a home run — but it was memorable and wonderful.

Ryan Howard is one of the greatest to ever suit up for the Philadelphia Phillies. He did things at the plate that so few have ever been able to do. He delivered when it mattered and for that he will be a Philadelphia sports icon always. As ready as we are to welcome in the next era of Phillies baseball, it’s hard to say goodbye to players who have been so central to our baseball lives. Howard is the Big Man and he’s the Last Man and, man, oh man, am I going to miss watching him play.

Thanks for the memories.

]]>http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/12/the-final-piece-a-farewell-to-ryan-howard/feed/7A Crashburn Changeoverhttp://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/12/a-crashburn-changeover/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/12/a-crashburn-changeover/#commentsMon, 12 Sep 2016 11:45:27 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22311Continue reading...]]>When I joined Crashburn Alley two and a half years ago, I had the pleasure of joining a writing crew of Michael Baumann, Paul Boye, Eric Longenhagen, Ryan Sommers and, of course, our bossman, Bill Baer. Over time I’ve watched as each of them has moved on and today, it’s time for me to do the same. Tomorrow I will be starting a new job writing for MLB.com’s Cut4 site which means this is my penultimate piece at Crashburn Alley.

I’ve deeply enjoyed the opportunity to talk about Phillies baseball with you over the past few years and cannot thank you, the readers, enough for helping create a community which makes Crashburn such a tremendous place to write. It’s not easy for me to say goodbye, but I am excited that my moving on means someone else has the opportunity to step up. We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Crashburn Alley isn’t going anywhere thanks to our new editor-in-chief, Spencer Bingol.

You’ve likely read some of Spencer’s excellent work here at Crashburn, but he’s also been a stellar writer and editor for Beyond The Box Score. I have full confidence in his ability to step up to the plate, as it were, and I cannot wait to see what he does with the place. I only ask that you treat him as well as you have treated me.

I want to thank our current writing staff, Adam Dembowitz, Brad Engler, Tim Guenther, Ben Harris, Michael Schickling, and Dave Tomar for their many contributions to the site. Additionally, I need to thank Bill Baer first for giving me the opportunity to start writing about baseball and then for trusting me to manage the site that he spent so many years building.

As I said up top, this is my penultimate post. Rather than making a self-indulgent note my final word, I’ll say goodbye to the site with a more baseball-relevant farewell which you will be able to read later this morning.

Thanks again to all of you. If you want to keep in touch, I’ll still be around on Twitter (@crashlandrey) and if you want to keep reading my work you can do so at Cut4 where I’ll be working full-time and at FanGraphs where I’ll now be contributing once a week.

And as if that weren’t enough, Quinn will be in the starting lineup against the Nationals this afternoon batting second and playing center field. To date, the Phillies September call-ups have primarily been unexciting bullpen arms and increasingly veteran role players like Darin Ruf and Cody Asche. But with Reading’s elimination from the postseason last night, two of the Phillies top prospects have finally gotten the call.

Technically this is the second big league call for Jorge Alfaro, but the first was a one-day call-up to provide insurance in the time gap between Carlos Ruiz‘s departure and the arrival of A.J. Ellis. Alfaro didn’t get in the game, so it doesn’t really count. This time, however, we can expect to see the debut of the highly-touted catching prospect acquired from Texas last year in exchange for Cole Hamels.

Alfaro first made a Top 100 list prior to the start of the 2012 season when he was just 18 years old. Well, technically it was Baseball Prospectus’ Top 101 list and he was #101, but semantics shmantics. He’s known for his prolific power and tremendous throwing arm, but this year he’s begun to supplement those tools with enough of a foundation to give hope that his profile can work. His defense behind the plate has reportedly taken great strides forward this year and (in the friendly confines of Reading) he’s hit enough to post a solid .285/.325/.458 slashline. He’s always had the raw tools to be a star catcher, but not necessarily the means to capitalize on those tools. Now it’s looking increasingly like the Phillies have a future major league catcher on their hands in Alfaro. How productive a major league career he’ll have remains very much in question.

Roman Quinn, like Alfaro, is a 23-year-old with an electric tool set that you don’t need to be a professional scout to appreciate. He is a true 80-grade runner and it’s led to 159 stolen bases over his minor league career in just 356 games played. But, if you know anything about Quinn, you know it’s that “just 356 games” that’s the problem. He’s been devastatingly injury prone and it’s cost him precious developmental time. His speed combined with his minor league offensive numbers (.276/.363/.441) make it impossible not to get excited when looking at Quinn. When healthy, he’s a force on the diamond, but will he ever be healthy for long enough? It’s possible that he has a future as a major league starting center fielder, it’s possible that his future is as a speedy fourth outfielder, and, naturally, it’s possible that injuries prevent him from ever having the major league career he’s so obviously capable of having.

The Phillies have been incredibly difficult to watch of late, but the additions of Alfaro and Quinn do finally add a bit of intrigue to the final weeks of the 2016 season. No matter how they perform, it’s a welcome reminder that exciting times lay ahead for the local nine.

]]>http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/11/welcome-to-the-show-alfaro-and-quinn/feed/1More Roster Reinforcements for the Phillieshttp://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/10/more-roster-reinforcements-for-the-phillies/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/10/more-roster-reinforcements-for-the-phillies/#commentsSat, 10 Sep 2016 17:36:25 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22313Continue reading...]]>Last night, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs were eliminated from the postseason and the newest batch of September roster reinforcements are headed to join the Phillies as a result.

Due to Reading and Lehigh Valley’s postseason run, the Phillies were lacking in available bullpen reinforcements and running with an abnormally small September bullpen as a result. Now they’re able to bolster their relief corps with Lehigh Valley’s closer and noted former barber Luis Garcia in addition as well as, Joely Rodriguez, a lefty reliever.

Rodriguez, you may recall, was acquired two offseasons ago from the Pirates in exchange for Antonio Bastardo. After a difficult 2015 season, he was outrighted off the roster last December. He’s gone on to put together a solid year in the upper minors this season combining for a 2.35 ERA, 22.7 K%, 7.7 BB%, and 1.15 WHIP in 76.2 innings across time with Clearwater, Reading, and Lehigh Valley. It’s worth noting that lefties have amassed just a .512 OPS against Rodriguez this year while righties have hit him to a .684 OPS. This was enough to earn the potential future LOOGY a return to the 40-man roster and an opportunity to make his major league debut. Rodriguez is still just 24 years old and given that the Phillies still have a wide open spot at the lefty reliever position, he could be playing for an opportunity to compete for a bullpen spot with the 2017 Phillies.

The other pitcher being recalled, Phil Klein, has been tremendous out of the rotation for Lehigh Valley ever since being claimed off waivers from the Rangers. He’s posted a 1.52 ERA in 65.1 innings while striking out 30.3% of batters and walking just 5.2%. He made a dismal spot start for the Phillies against the Giants last month, but could be leaned on for the rest of the season as a long reliever or a starter should the Phillies opt either for a six-man rotation or to shutdown Jake Thompson.

As for Cody Asche, he’s worked on a bit of positional versatility in Triple-A by getting time at first base and third base. The Phillies know what they have in Asche at this point, but he has put up solid numbers with Lehigh Valley this season (.279/.350/.515, 149 wRC+) for whatever that’s worth. This month he will most likely be stating his case for a role as a utility player on future Phillies team.

Meanwhile, Double-A Reading is down two games to one in their playoff series and will try to avoid elimination tonight and, hopefully, tomorrow night against Trenton. Expect another wave of call-ups when Reading’s season officially concludes.

]]>http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/10/more-roster-reinforcements-for-the-phillies/feed/6Vince Velasquez and Secondarieshttp://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/09/vince-velasquez-and-secondaries/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/09/vince-velasquez-and-secondaries/#commentsFri, 09 Sep 2016 19:00:46 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22287Continue reading...]]>Vince Velasquez‘s 2016 season is officially in the books and it’s hard to find much to complain about. Despite a brief trip to the disabled list in June and an early September shutdown, he set a career high innings total at 136 and crossed the 100 innings mark for the first time since 2013. He struck out 27.6% of batters faced which ranks 9th in the majors among pitchers with 130+ innings and demonstrated an ability to maintain elite fastball velocity deep into outings. Although his run prevention leaves room for improvement (4.12 ERA), the overall performance was solid and more than a little encouraging for the 24-year-old in his first full season as a major league starter.

However, that’s not to say Velasquez is a finished product. His biggest weakness is the cause of his high rate of pitches per plate appearances — his 4.01 P/PA ranks 21st of 126 qualified pitchers — which, by extension, limited him to less than seven innings in 21 of his 24 starts this season. That weakness? You can either call it fastball over-reliance or ineffective secondaries depending on how you want to slant it.

First let’s take a look at where Velasquez falls on the major league leaderboard in terms of fastball usage. Using Statcast search, I sorted all 102 pitchers with 2,000+ pitches thrown this year by the percentage of pitches that were classified as either a four-seam fastball or a two-seam fastball. The results:

You see the logic-defying Bartolo Colon way atop the list and then a fair amount of tightly packed fastball-heavy pitchers behind him. Velasquez uses a lot of fastballs, but he’s hardly alone. However, Velasquez shoots well up the list when isolating pitches thrown in two-strike counts. I used the same sorting feature with Statcast search, but this time I pulled only from pitches thrown in a two-strike count. I set a minimum of 500 pitches thrown in those counts which gave me a sample size of 120 which is comparable to the table above.

Vince Velasquez has a great fastball and there’s nothing wrong with using that. However, the advantage off-speed and breaking pitches have on fastballs is that they’re more likely to miss bats. When your out pitch is one that’s more conducive to contact, it leads to longer at bats. This season, the league average for pitches per plate appearance is 3.87, but Velasquez averaged 4.01 which ranks 21st of 127 qualified pitchers.

It follows that in order for Velasquez to be able to more consistently work deep into games, it would be helpful if he found another pitch he could rely on in pitchers counts. Last year, his main secondary pitches were his curveball and slider, but at the end of the season it appeared that a new favorite may be emerging:

Note that he only started one game this September, so his there’s a bit of small sample size weirdness at the end of this chart. However, you will see that through the second half of this year, his fastball usage dropped and his changeup usage gradually increased. When he was a prospect, that changeup was touted as his best secondary pitch, is it possible that he’s finally beginning to find comfort with it at the major league level?

The first thing to note about the changeup is that the overall results against the pitch this season were not good. Last year, batters posted a 183 wRC+ against the pitch and this year they posted a 170 wRC+. Essentially, when the changeup is the deciding factor in an at bat, opponents have performed like Mike Trout.

However, the pitch did evolve during the season. He added about two mph in velocity to the pitch in June and sustained that change for the rest of the season. When that changed occurred, there was a simultaneous loss of about an inch of horizontal run on the pitch and a corresponding addition of 1-2″ vertical drop.

The results aren’t there yet, but the fact that Velasquez began using it more frequently at the end of the season and the pitch itself exhibited notable changes makes it, at the very least, something to keep your eye on when Velasquez is back next spring. If he doesn’t gain comfort and effectiveness with the non-fastballs in his arsenal, there is reason to worry that his future may be as a bullpen arm. If, however, he does exhibit improvement and take that next step, he could soon be living up the promise he showed in that 16 strikeout game.

]]>http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/09/vince-velasquez-and-secondaries/feed/2Crash Landing: The Enigma of Freddy Galvishttp://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/08/crash-landing-the-enigma-of-freddy-galvis/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/08/crash-landing-the-enigma-of-freddy-galvis/#commentsThu, 08 Sep 2016 12:19:40 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22295Continue reading...]]>Favorite baseball players don’t come along very often, for me at least. A true favorite player is an emotional commitment and it takes time for that level of personal investment to build up. I can list dozens of players I love to watch play. I may even refer to some of them as favorites off-hand from time to time, but true genuine favorites in the literal sense of the word? For me only two players have achieved that status: Scott Rolen and Chase Utley. I don’t know when my next favorite will come along, but I know no one is particularly close right now. Instead, what I have right now are short-lived obsessions when one player is on an exciting tear. At various times this year, I’ve favored Odubel Herrera or Aaron Nola or Vince Velasquez or Maikel Franco. But at this specific moment in time, my “favorite” is a player I endearingly refer to as “The Enigma”, shortstop Freddy Galvis.

Here’s the most important starting point with Freddy Galvis: he has the worst on-base percentage in the majors among qualified hitters and the player with the second most, Alexei Ramirez, was released by his team earlier this week. Not only that, his .269 OBP isn’t far off from his career mark of .278. So it’s bad, but it’s also unsurprisingly bad. No one expects Galvis to be an offensive force because we’ve been watching him in the majors since 2012 and he’s consistently been ineffective at the plate. There’s absolutely nothing enigmatic about that.

But then there’s this ridiculous stretch he currently finds himself on. Entering play last night, he was sporting a .278/.333/.577 slashline in 105 plate appearances since (arbitrary end point alert) August 6th. A .577 slugging percentage! The power surge was thanks to seven home runs in the span of the month. Last year, Galvis set his career high for home runs in a single season with seven. This year he matched that in a stretch of 105 plate appearances!

This is part one of The Enigma. He is an offensive dud, but on occasion he pulls off extraordinary displays of power. Like that walk-off home run off Aroldis Chapman.

And as you know, not all of his home runs are cheap corner shots. Just this Monday, Galvis hit an absolute bomb into the upper deck at Marlins Park:

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Galvis is listed at 5’10”, 185 lb. and puts up absolutely dismal offensive numbers on the whole, but then he puts on a display like that and it makes you question everything you think you know about this game. His recent surge has him up to 16 home runs on the year, more than double last season’s career high. His home run total puts him in the middle of the pack among qualified shortstops. It’s not elite, but it’s also not nothing. Add into the mix the fact that he has 13 steals and you’ll find he’s one of just six qualified shortstops with double digit steals and homers this season.

He is the literal worst person in the league at getting on-base, but on the occasions that he does produce offensive value he makes it count. The net result this year as things stand right now is a 70 wRC+ or offensive production 30 percent worse than league average. It’s not good. It’s not even particularly close to good and with nearly 1,700 career plate appearances under his belt, there’s no compelling reason to think it’s ever going to get good. But those glimpses of what could be, that’s The Enigma.

The second part of his enigmatic baseball persona is his defensive production. He is a truly elite defensive player who will make mind-boggling highlight reel plays like the one that the Phillies broadcast crew talked over last Friday:

But throughout his major league career, he’s had a maddening propensity to follow up these defensive exploits by booting routine grounders. To be perfectly fair to him, this is a trait which has mercifully begun to dissipate this year. The easy explanation for these defensive miscues was that a lack of focus hamstrung him on mundane plays. It’s also been blamed in the past on him taking his struggles with the bat out with him on defense. Whatever the cause, it is frustrating to the highest degree to watch one of the best defensive talents around make bonehead play after bonehead play. The Enigma strikes again.

He’s an offensive dud with shocking pop that comes out of nowhere. He’s a defensive wizard who is lousy with misplays. These enigmatic contradictions will likely keep him from ever getting a starting role on a truly competitive team, but it’s hard to deny that it adds a layer of excitement to watching him play. You never quite know what you’re going to get and, lately, he’s been an absolute joy to watch. Maybe I’ll move onto another new favorite at some point in September, but I’ve certainly enjoyed this Galvis-centric portion of my 2016 Phillies watching experience..

Earlier this week in my September call-up predictions, I noted that I expected the Phillies to call up one of Patrick Schuster or Elvis Araujo and one of Dalier Hinojosa or Colton Murray… and then I proceeded to guess the wrong member of each pairing. You win some, you lose some. Point being, the expected bullpen reinforcements has arrived and as postseason play ends for Lehigh Valley and Reading over the next two weeks, expect even more reinforcements to join the big league squad.

It’s great to see that Andres Blanco is ready to come back. He’s been an absolute gem of a utility player for the Phillies over the past two and a half seasons and he’ll be a free agent after the season, so this could very well be his last go around with the Phillies. His playing time is likely to be severely limited this month as all four of the Phillies infielders — Maikel Franco, Freddy Galvis, Cesar Hernandez, and Tommy Joseph — are all likely to be under consideration for roles with next year’s squad.

The surprise here which I alluded to yesterday is Darin Ruf. There’s no apparent role for him to fill with the Phillies this month as Mackanin has already explicitly expressed his desire to get more playing time for the other right-handed first-base only player: Tommy Joseph. Ruf could conceivably get playing time in the outfield despite his horrendous defense, but they already have three outfielders contending for jobs with the Phillies next season in Tyler Goeddel, Odubel Herrera, and Aaron Altherr. If Nick Williams gets the call later this month, that will only serve to further crowd Ruf out.

This winter Ruf will be eligible for arbitration for the first time and, at this point, it’s hard to see the Phillies extending him an offer. He is already 30 years old and they have a younger and potentially better version of him in Tommy Joseph. But, whatever the reasoning, Ruf is back and, if nothing else, he will serve to provide right-handed pop off the bench for the final weeks of the season.

]]>http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/02/september-call-ups-have-officially-begun/feed/17Crash Landing: Keeping An Eye On Ryan Howard and the Big Picturehttp://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/01/crash-landing-keeping-an-eye-on-ryan-howard-and-the-big-picture/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/01/crash-landing-keeping-an-eye-on-ryan-howard-and-the-big-picture/#commentsThu, 01 Sep 2016 15:54:26 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22280Continue reading...]]>I remember at some point last winter I declared that I was done writing about Ryan Howard only to go on to write about him often this season. This won’t even be my last post about him this year as I’m certain to want to use the occasion of his final game in red pinstripes as an opportunity to look back on a legendary career. Today, though, I want to talk about his most recent… controversy? Can you even call it that? How about this… his most recent news-making quote.

“I think it makes sense to see Joseph as much as possible,” Mackanin said. “I don’t want to happen to him what happened to [Darin] Ruf, where he didn’t have opportunities to get at-bats.”Name of the source

This makes perfect sense, right? A healthy Tommy Joseph playing in the major leagues for an extended period of time as been one of the more unexpected developments in the 2016 season. Not only has he been playing, but he’s hit 17 home runs in just 277 plate appearances. He may or may not be able to carve out a career as a major league regular, but he just turned 25 and the Phillies have every reason to want to get as much information as possible before the end of the season about what kind of player they think Joseph is and what his future may bring in Philadelphia.

At this point, I’d say it’s extraordinarily counterintuitive that on the same day Mackanin expressed this desire to see more of Joseph that the team recalled Darin Ruf from Triple-A. Ruf, like Joseph is a right-handed first-base-only bat (who maddeningly will play in the outfield from time-to-time anyway). Maximizing Joseph’s playing opportunities necessitates limiting those of Ruf. I can only assume that Ruf can’t be expected to get much playing time at first base over the last month of the season.

But I said up front that this is about Ryan Howard. An increase in Joseph’s playing time naturally will decrease Howard’s playing time. Asked about this declaration from Mackanin, Howard had this to say, as reported by Ford again:

“You’re talking about an evaluation process of where you’ve gotten to see players this year play. And you’ll have another opportunity to see those same players play again next year and I won’t be here,” Howard said before Wednesday’s game against the Nationals. “So, for me, I just want to play. I don’t necessarily think it’s right or fair, considering this is my last month here, but it is interesting.”Name of the source

Well, sure. That’s true. Howard wants playing time to prove to the other 29 teams (or really, the 15 American League teams) that he’s worth a contract next season. The Phillies will still have Joseph around next year so is there anything they can truly learn about him or any skills he can gain over the last few weeks of the season? Seems unlikely. Go on, Mr. Howard.

“The manager shouldn’t have to answer the question in the media. I think that’s something that you talk to your players about. That’s one thing. Having to answer that question as far as the evaluation process, for me it’s tough. I’m not going to sit here and lie. I’ve got one more month here and I just want to play and finish out playing,” Howard said. “So, it’s like I’m just trying to do my time, finish out this last month, and try to keep playing somewhere else.”Name of the source

Those first two sentences sure are on point. It never ceases to amaze me when major league players learn about their fates from the media. It happens naturally enough: Mackanin was asked about Joseph and gave an honest answer about why he thinks he’ll try to get Joseph more playing time in September. But it’s inevitable that the question then immediately gets turned around to Howard. Should Mackanin have had this conversation with Howard before essentially telling the media that Howard’s playing time would decrease? Probably. It created discord where none needed to be, but it’s easy to see how it happened.

Alright, keep going, Ryan.

“[This] has been an ongoing process the last three years,” Howard said. “They were doing the same thing with Ruffie. It has nothing to do with Tommy. It has nothing to do with Darin. It has everything to do with the process. I’m just trying to play and go somewhere else and play. I think there comes a time when there needs to be more dialogue and more of an understanding of, ‘Why now?’ Now, when you’ve got three weeks left in the season? Why now? I’m going out and hitting and playing better and all of sudden it’s another wrinkle.”Name of the source

Ah, there’s the money quote: “Why now?” It sure does sound stupid out of context. Why now? Because Joseph may have a future with the Phillies and Howard doesn’t, duh. But to Howard, it’s cutting playing time when he’s performing the best he has in years and this is arguably a critical time for the future of his career.

Why now? Can these final weeks change anything for Joseph? Can they change anything for Howard? I don’t know. What I do know is this: baseball players want to play. Ryan Howard became one of the most significant players in Phillies history because he has the drive to want to play and win. The quote that he’s getting mocked for currently is a direct result of the same internal mindset that led him to the career Philadelphia fans loved to watch at its peak. It’s a non-story that needlessly poisons what is already a depressingly fractured relationship between Howard, the Phillies, and the fans. I believe posterity will treat Howard’s Phillies career fondly. I believe he’ll be embraced with open arms at his eventual Wall of Fame induction. And I desperately hope that he’ll get the ovation he so richly deserves in his final game at Citizens Bank Park this season. Writers have to write and Howard’s quote gave them something to write about. Hell, it gave this writer something to write about just now, too. Hopefully, though, this is not an indicator of how Howard’s final month in Philadelphia will play out.

]]>http://crashburnalley.com/2016/09/01/crash-landing-keeping-an-eye-on-ryan-howard-and-the-big-picture/feed/14September Call-Up Previewhttp://crashburnalley.com/2016/08/31/september-call-up-preview-2/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/08/31/september-call-up-preview-2/#commentsWed, 31 Aug 2016 14:10:55 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22277Continue reading...]]>Baseball has this absurd annual tradition of expanding rosters each September. It’s ludicrous that the final pushes for playoff positions occur with baseball being played under an entirely different set of rules than those used for the first five months of the season, but that’s baseball for you. It’s a quirky sport ruled by tradition and one of those traditions is that teams are allowed to put enough players on the active roster to field four teams and still have four players left over. No team uses all 15 extra roster slots in September, but all teams will use some of those slots. So who will get the call for the Phillies?

The bulk of the new additions to the Phillies roster will be pitchers. Starting pitchers Vince Velasquez and Jake Thompson are likely to be shut down within the next week or so which means the rotation will need reinforcements. Plus, loading up the bullpen with extra is a time-honored September addition. So let’s start there with a look at what pitchers we can expect to see this month:

Starting Pitchers

With two rotation spots opening up, we’re all but guaranteed to see some old friends this month. David Buchanan and Phil Klein are the two starting pitchers currently on the 40-man roster who could be called up and Alec Asher is the one who will return to the 40-man roster when his PED suspension ends this weekend. Asher is the most likely to see time in Philadelphia this month if only because he needs playing time and the only competitive league he’ll be able to play in is the majors because his PED suspension makes him ineligible for major or minor league postseason play.

The next spot is a little trickier to fill because Triple-A Lehigh Valley is likely to clinch a playoff spot this week and their playoff run could extend through the first two weeks of September. Given that Klein and Buchanan are both 27-year-olds with minimal major league value, the major league team may be content to take whichever one Lehigh Valley needs less for the postseason run. Although Klein got lit up in his one spot start for the Phillies, he has been lights out for Lehigh Valley since coming over from Texas in June. I’ll wager he stays in Triple-A and Buchanan gets the call when the Phillies need an extra starter.

There are a few long-shot rotation candidates who could conceivably get a look this September: Nick Pivetta, Ben Lively, and Ricardo Pinto. They are three starting pitcher prospects who are most likely to be added to the 40-man roster this winter. All three have minor league postseason play in their immediate futures (Pivetta and Lively with Lehigh Valley and Pinto with Reading), but their looming 40-man additions make them obvious candidates if the rotation succumbs to another injury or the team decides to go to a six-man rotation. I’ll rank their likelihood of a call-up as: Lively, Pivetta, (big gap) Pinto. Lively has pitched well at Triple-A for half a season now which may be enough to make him one of the few true “prospects” the Phillies call up before the end of the season.

The Bullpen

There’s not much exciting here. The Phillies have four relievers on their 40-man who we’ve already seen this year and could see again in September: Elvis Araujo, Luis Garcia, Dalier Hinojosa, and Colton Murray. Also on the roster is a lefty reliever named Patrick Schuster the Phillies claimed from Oakland a few weeks ago. All five of those pitchers are currently pitching for playoff-bound Lehigh Valley. As a result, I expect the Phillies to call up just two right when rosters expand and then add additional depth once their playoffs end. My guess is they’ll let the IronPigs keep their closer, Luis Garcia, and call up a lefty (either Araujo or Schuster) and a righty (Hinojosa or Murray).

The one caveat to my proclamation of unexciting bullpen options is that a preseason favorite prospect, Jimmy Cordero, is back. After missing much of the season to a shoulder injury, Cordero had a bit of a slow start once he returned to games as his elite velocity didn’t return right away. Now, however, he’s reportedly back to touching triple-digit velocity with his fastball. He’s slated to play in the Dominican Republic when the season ends, but the Phillies could conceivably give him a brief taste of the majors between his playoff-run with Reading and his winter league. I’m not counting on it, but I’m certainly rooting for it.

Position Players

Teams add third catchers in September because it adds tremendous roster flexibility. Want to use Cameron Rupp to pinch hit when A.J. Ellis is in the lineup? With a third catcher on the team that’s easy to do. However, the Phillies are lacking for obvious third catcher candidates. As his ever so brief cameo in the Phillies dugout reminded us, Jorge Alfaro is the third catcher currently on the 40-man roster. Andrew Knapp is Rule 5 eligible this winter and all but guaranteed a 40-man spot as a result. However, Alfaro and Knapp are the starting catchers for Reading and Lehigh Valley respectively. Do the Phillies want to prevent either from participating in the playoffs? My guess is we’ll see either Alfaro or Knapp take on that third catcher role once the minor league playoffs conclude.

As for the other positions, we’ll once again get a return of familiar faces. Andres Blanco will be back as soon as he is healthy enough and Cody Asche and Darin Ruf could return to give the Phillies added position player depth. New faces will be harder to come by, however. The prospects who could be added include: Nick Williams, Dylan Cozens, and J.P. Crawford. I’d immediately cross Crawford off the list because he doesn’t need to be added to the 40-man this winter. Cozens, while he has obliterated the Eastern League this season, is still an unfinished product with an alarmingly high propensity for strikeouts. I’d imagine they let Cozens finish out the year on a high note with Double-A and then have him work towards the majors next year.

Which leaves Nick Williams. He looked like a lock to be in the majors by this point, but he’s been in an awful slump of late. He’s still young — turns 23 next week — so it’s not any sort of major setback if he doesn’t get the call this month. There may be value in having him start fresh next year and play his way onto the big league club, but there also could be value in giving him a bit of a taste of what the major leagues are like before he heads home for the winter. I’d call him up, but it’s not my call and if the decision makers wanted him up, I think he’d be up already.

Final Predictions

Call-ups made on September 2nd (the Phillies have an off day tomorrow): Elvis Araujo, Dalier Hinojosa

]]>http://crashburnalley.com/2016/08/31/september-call-up-preview-2/feed/6Crash Landing: Bidding Farewell to Chooch?http://crashburnalley.com/2016/08/25/crash-landing-bidding-farewell-to-chooch/
http://crashburnalley.com/2016/08/25/crash-landing-bidding-farewell-to-chooch/#commentsThu, 25 Aug 2016 18:37:42 +0000http://crashburnalley.com/?p=22241Continue reading...]]>The waiver trade deadline is less than a week away and the Phillies have still declined to make a single in-season trade this year. It’s been leaked that both Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz have cleared waivers, however, which is a reminder that this inactivity could change at any moment. It’s not a surprise either player cleared waivers as Howard is still owed ~$15M on his contract while Ruiz has ~$2M remaining and, although that’s not a prohibitive amount, it’s still a large investment for one to two months of a backup catcher. Now that they’ve cleared waivers, though, it’s possible to work out a trade, particularly if the Phillies are willing to provide a bit of salary relief.

I’m sticking with my unwavering predictions that Ryan Howard isn’t going anywhere. He’s been on an offensive tear lately and, while that’s great to see, he remains a one-dimensional player with extraordinarily limited value. None of the contending American League teams have a clear need for him and I just don’t see Howard ending his season anywhere but Philadelphia. Chooch, on the other hand, is rumored to have generated a bit of interest. Could we currently be in the final hours of his Phillies tenure?

This isn’t a fun question to pose. Although you would think the gradual departure of every core piece of the 2008 championship team would make these farewells easier, that really hasn’t been the case, at least for me. The Jimmy Rollins trade was an incredibly emotional time for Phillies fans, but that didn’t make the Cole Hamels trade or the Chase Utley trade any less emotional. No matter who has already left or how obvious that farewells to Chooch and Howard are imminent regardless of a change, the actual farewell itself is guaranteed to be emotional.

As for whether or not a trade is palatable, there’s something almost comforting about knowing the end is near and being able to put a clock on it. The final day of the regular season, that’s when we say goodbye. But the immediacy of trades generates a different and, arguably, less satisfying emotional reaction. A year ago Phillies fans were denied the opportunity to give Utley the farewell he would’ve received had there been an opportunity for a true goodbye. The final day of the regular season will give fans that opportunity, but a trade won’t.

This isn’t to say the Phillies shouldn’t trade Chooch. He’s been, by all accounts, a wonderful veteran in the clubhouse who provides real value even now that his playing time has been dramatically curtailed, but losing that for the final six weeks of the season won’t be a significant baseball loss. With that said, the actual baseball reasons for moving him are similarly minimal. Any prospect return is likely to be an extraordinary long shot to ever provide real major league value and it’s not as though Ruiz’s presence on the roster is blocking a prospect. If the Phillies want to bring up Jorge Alfaro or Andrew Knapp when rosters expand in September, they’ll be perfectly able to do that whether Ruiz is here or not.

For me, I suppose that’s the unsatisfying aspect of these departures: there’s no real gain to be had in trading away Carlos Ruiz. Given that reality, I find myself hoping it doesn’t happen. I’d rather deal with all my emotions surrounding both Ruiz and Howard in one go at the close of the regular season. But whether the departure ultimately happens this week or six weeks from now, the positive thing is that it’s guaranteed to provide a wonderful opportunity to look back on the wonderful and somewhat underrated Phillies career of Carlos Ruiz as well as the remarkable career of one Ryan Howard. I may not be looking forward to the departure, but I am greatly looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate a couple of Phillies legends.